Expert warns against Turkish language contamination
By News Center
The head of the Turkish Language and Literature Association (TDED), Ekrem Erdem, has warned that the purity of the Turkish language is under threat, Yeni Shafak newspaper reports.
"With the pandemic, I was saddened to see how many foreign terms invaded our language. We're all witnessing our language fading away," Erdem stressed.
Social media and smartphone use result in the emergence of new languages, particularly among young people. Young individuals who communicate by reducing words or utilizing letters from the English alphabet such as w, x, and q also utilize images and emojis as a way of communication.
“Wars over language, religion, and economy are becoming increasingly widespread. 'First, the language, then the army defends the nation' said our honorable president. When the language is of such great importance for a nation, it hurts me to act as if it is not important at all,” Erdem emphasized.
He went on to say that unfortunately, coronavirus has contaminated not just human bodies, but also the language.
“The job was serious and the danger was great. As an association, we immediately took action on this issue and determined the Turkish equivalents of foreign words that are frequently used in daily life with the disease and shared this with the press. I conveyed the same study to the Presidency, as well as our Health Minister Mr. Fahrettin Koca. I personally explained the sensitivity and importance of the work,” Erdem underlined.
According to him, a fascination with foreign languages, the plaza's language, which is half Turkish and half English, has enslaved every segment of society and the youth has been enslaved in the same way.
“We are all watching our extinction from afar. Using a foreign term for whatever reason, even if it has a Turkish counterpart, is the most heinous terrorist strike against our language. Not our language, but our national identity, is under threat in the country. Insidiously, national ideals are being eroded. As a result, future generations are unable to comprehend their parents, listen to their history, speak their language, or know their traditions. By demonstrating social awareness, a national mobilization on the language should be announced,” Erdem stressed.
The Turkish Language and Literature Association worked to translate the messaging characters on mobile phones into Turkish. It was also via the association's endeavors that Turkish was highlighted on road signs and on the signage of institutions and organizations, he added.
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